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ANCIENT CHINA PREHISTORIC CHINA Neolithic 12,000-2000 bce Yangshao Culture 5000-2500 bce Hongshan Culture 4700- 2900 bce Lung-shan Culture 2500-1000 bce Xia Dynasty 21st –16th c. bce Paleolithic China: Peking Man Fossils found in 1920’s -30’s -- date to 500,000 bce Classified as HOMO ERECTUS Neolithic China ca. 12,000-2000 bce Neolithic China ca. 12,000-2000 bce Neolithic period began ca. 12,000 bce in China, but good evidence dates back only to 4,000 bce Agriculture concentrated near Yellow River: millet was main crop Silk production began even before the Neolithic period. Clustered dwellings suggest importance of kinship 9000 year-old flutes These 9,000-year-old Chinese flutes are believed to be the oldest known playable instruments. They're made from the forelimbs of a rare crane. Yangshao Culture 5000-2500 bce Their handcrafted, Painted Pottery occasionally bears a single incised sign that may be a forerunner of Chinese writing Domesticated and the pig the dog Lung-shan Culture ca.2500-1000 bce Black Pottery Practiced worship ancestor Domesticated sheep and ox pig, dog, Early Chinese describe jade as embodying five virtues: Benevolence is typified by its luster that is bright and warm Integrity by its translucency Wisdom by its sonorous ring when struck Courage by its hardness Steadfastness durability by its Jade Neolithic Jade Modern jade includes nephrite and jadeite: only nephrite used in Neolithic times Ranges widely in color, from pale to dark green, from white to yellow, from brown to black. Extremely hard, so very difficult to work. It cannot be carved, but must be ground by a material harder than itself The Neolithic tools of choice were probably a gut saw and bamboo drill together with an abrasive in the form of river sand or sludge. Earliest pieces date ca. 7000 bce Hongshan Jade Jade coiled pig-dragon, Hongshan Culture (c. 4700-2920 B.C.) Far to the northeast, in the Manchurian hills, archaeologists have uncovered traces of a ceremonial center associated with the Hongshan culture (4700-2920 B.C.). Jade objects found in tombs Liangzhu Jade Congs Found almost exclusively in burial contexts, indicating ritual and religious significance Unique form of a circle within a square suggests some cosmological significance. Perhaps the circle symbolizes heaven, and the square symbolizes earth Chinese Creation Myth In the beginning there was nothing in the except a formless chaos. The chaos coalesced into a cosmic egg for about 18,000 years. Within it, the perfectly opposed principles of Yin and Yang became balanced and Pangu emerged from the egg. Pangu set about the task of creating the world: he separated Yin from Yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the Earth (murky Yin) and the Sky (clear Yang). To keep them separated, Pangu stood between them and pushed up the Sky. Pangu Chinese Creation Myth After the 18,000 years had elapsed, Pangu was laid to rest. His breath became the wind; his voice the thunder; left eye the sun and right eye the moon; his body became the mountains and extremes of the world; his blood formed rivers; his muscles the fertile lands; His facial hair the stars and milky way; his fur the bushes and forests; his bones the valuable minerals; his bone marrows sacred diamonds; his sweat fell as rain; and the fleas on his fur carried by the wind became the fish and animals throughout the land. Nüwa Nüwa is the goddess who is credited with the creation of mankind and the maintenance of the heavens Half-woman, halfdragon Nüwa and the Creation of Man When Nüwa looked down upon the earth for the first time, she saw that it was full of life but empty of creatures. She took handfuls of yellow clay from the banks of the rivers and molded beings from them. She found that the clay was not strong enough to remain erect, so she reinforced it with carefully woven ropes spread throughout their bodies. Once she had created all the animals of the world and begun work on mankind, Nüwa became tired and no longer wished to form each one individually; instead, she dipped a great rope in the mud and began flicking it, causing drops of the clay to spin off and form humans on their own. These were the common people of the world, and those she had created with her own hands became the nobles. San Huang (Three August Ones) ca. 3000-2700 bce A succession of legendary sageemperors taught the ancient Chinese to communicate and to find sustenance, clothing, and shelter. Fu Xi, the first legendary Emperor, taught many arts, such as the use of fishing nets, the breeding of silk worms, and the taming of wild animals. He invented music, the casting of oracles and the one hundred Chinese family names. Suiren taught how to build a fire and to cook food. Shennong, "Divine Farmer," also known as the Emperor of the Five Grains, taught the practices of agriculture and the use of herbal drugs and acupuncture. San Huang Wu Di (Five Emperors) 2700-2200 bce Legendary, morally perfect sagekings – inventors and giver of gifts to mankind. According to Sima Qian’s Shi Ji or The Records of the Grand Historian: Huang-di, The Yellow Emperor Zhuanxu Ku Yao Shun Xia Dynasty 21st-16th c. bce First Xia Dynasty 21st-16th c. bce prehistoric dynasty: descendants of Lung-Shan culture Urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs point to the existence of Xia civilization in the same locations cited in ancient Chinese texts Evolutionary stage between the late Neolithic cultures and the urban civilization of the Shang dynasty. HISTORIC DYNASTIES Earliest Dynasties ANCIENT Xia Dynasty 21st-16th c. bce Shang Dynasty 16th-11th c. bce first writing CHINA Zhou (Chou) Dynasty 1027 bc-221 bc Confucianism Taoism Shang Dynasty 16th-11th c. bce Shang Dynasty Central Yellow River Valley Oldest examples of Chinese writing Hunters and farmers Brilliant bronze culture casting of intricate ritual vessels tools Cities Cheng Chow (16th c. bc) Anyang (C. 1384-1111 bc) Shang Social Organization City-states Shang Tang - the first ruling king of the Shang dynasty under the nominal rule of a high king Proto-feudalism. The area under the jurisdiction of the king quite probably was small, perhaps not more than 100200 miles in any direction from Anyang. Traces of a family ruling system and of ancestorworship are discernible. Rigidly patriarchal society. Writing: Oracle Bones Oracle bones used for divination. A question was written on the bone, which was then fired and a T shaped crack was produced to be interpreted; the interpretation was then written on the bone. After the predicted event occurred, the date of the occurrence was also written on the bone. Astronomy and Calendar Oracle bone with record of solar eclipse Ox bone inscribed with a table of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches Zhongqi Shang Bronzes Ritual bronze vessels Range from the very small and light to very large Bronze vessels are called "zhongqi" or heavy vessels in Chinese. 4 Elements of Zhongqi Taotie Middle Shang Li , 14th or 13th century BCE Sophisticated bronze technology Li-qi: ritual art -- used for worship, not utilitarian Restricted decoration and shape Shang bronze types were copied and reused later in Chinese history, even into the nineteenth century Taotie This pattern appears on nearly all Shang bronzes, and has been interpreted as a vague suggestion of an animal's head. The animal is unclear, as are many of the elements of the decoration, so it is called zoomorphic: shaped like an animal. Bronze Ritual Wine Vessels 13th-12th c. bce Shang Religion Ornament of the late Shang, 7 cm high The figurine shows the costume and headdress usually worn by people in the Shang Dynasty The Shang worshipped the "Shang Ti," a supreme god over lesser gods Highly ritualized, ancestor worship Sacrifice to the gods and the ancestors When a king died, hundreds of slaves and prisoners were often sacrificed and buried with him. Woman Warrior: Fu Hao The tomb of Fu Hao is the only royal Shang tomb to have been found unlooted. The floor level housed the royal corpse and most of the utensils and implements buried with her. Below the corpse was a small pit holding the remains of 6 dogs, and the skeletons of 16 humans. Fu Hao was mentioned in oracle bone inscriptions as the consort of King Wu Ding and a general who participated in several campaigns. 13th c. bce Shang Tomb of Fu Hao Excavating Fu Hao's tomb Objects from Fu Hao’s tomb Bronze Wine vessel Jade tiger Ivory cup ZHOU (CHOU) DYNASTY 1027 bc-221 bc Periods of Zhou Dynasty 771 bce -- Zhou invaded by barbarians allied with rebel lords; king killed. Capital moved eastward to Luoyang in Henan Province Western Zhou: 1027-771 bce Eastern Zhou 770-221 bce 770-476 bce: Spring and Autumn Period 475-221 bce: Warring States Period Zhou (Chou) Dynasty Introduced organized agriculture Feudal society Land grants in return for support in war and loyalty Ruler: Tian or “Son of Heaven Principal of societal relationships illustrated in the Book of Songs and the Book of Rituals Confucianism and Taoism introduced Zhou Jade: Ornamental Zhou Jade: Ritual The appearance of jade-piece masks and jade burial suits signalled changes in funeral customs Belief that jade could protect the corpse from decay, thereby providing the spirit with a "living" home. The pieces of this jade mask were sewn on a silk veil to define the facial features of the deceased. Zhou Bronzes Not as intricate or elaborate as Shang bronzes Often utilized animal shapes and motifs Zhou bronze tigers Musical Instruments Bian zhong was the main ritual instrument played at sacrificial activities or feasts of aristocrats in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Percussion instrument of Western Zhou, height 38.5-48 cm Confucius K’ung fu-tzu or Kongfuzi 551-479 bce Son of aristocrat, raised in poverty Itinerant teacher Sayings collected in The Analects Possibly edited The Book of Songs Confucian Canon of Texts The Book of Songs The Book of Documents (Shang Shu) The Book of Changes ( I Ching) rituals Ch’un-ch’ iu: a chronicle The Analects By study and self-cultivation, individuals can merge their instinctive beings and their social beings. Followers of Confucius Confucianism Importance of traditional values: selfcontrol, filial piety, propriety, ritual Individual virtue leads to societal virtue Contextual morality -- guided by circumstances of a particular problem Obedience contingent upon benevolence Confucian Values Li: propriety, ceremony, civility. 4 basic rules of human conduct: courtesy, politeness, good manners, respect (reverence for age) Jen (Ren): respect for self and others:”Do not do to others what you do not want done to you.” Charity and courtesy Te: virtue, the power of moral example as in a strong leader who guides by example or in the forces of nature Wen: the arts of peace: music, poetry, art -- conducive to harmony and order and a model of excellence. Traditional Chinese art always strives for beauty. The Six Relationships Obedience in The Six Relationships is contingent upon the superior members observing their duty to be benevolent and caring. Ruler Teacher Subject Student Older Friend Younger Friend In society, the ancient principles of Confucius formed the basis of this order, giving the Chinese a value system of stable harmony Lao Tzu or Lao Zi “Old Sage” or “OldMaster” Born c. 604 bce Author of Tao te Ching or Taodejing: The Way and Its Power Legendary life: Lao Tzu means "old sage“ or "old boy“ Native of Ch'ü-jen, in the Honan Province. Just as the Chinese sought harmony in society, they sought harmony in nature through the philosophy of Taoism: following the way of nature Taoist Canon Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) : Written supposedly by Lao Zi (81 chapters often divided into two parts) Book of Dao : Chapter 1-37 Book of De : Chapter 38-81 Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tzu) : Written supposedly by Zhuang Zi (inner chapters) and others (misc and outer chapters) Hua Hu Jing: Unknown author (81 chapters) Lie Zi: Written supposedly by Lie Zi (111 chapters) TAOISM Tao: the ultimate reality behind existence, a transcendant essence. Highly individualistic and mystical character Existential skepticism Wu-wei: spontaneity -- to discern and follow the natural forces -- to follow and shape the natural flow of events, not to struggle against nature "Both heaven and earth endure a long time. The cause of their endurance is their indifference to long life. Thus the wise man, indifferent to himself, is the greatest among men." Yin and Yang Negative and positive principles of the universe. One cannot exist without the other, and they often represent opposites in relations to each other. As there is more and more Yang, eventually, Yin will appear and replace this increase. Similarly in the opposite direction, Yang will appear to replace the increase in Yin YIN YANG Negative Positive Female Male Dark Light Evil Good Earth Heaven The yin - soft, female elements- complement the yang - hard, male elements - without contradiction Lao Tzu: “There is nothing weaker than water but none is superior to it in overcoming the hard…Weakness overcomes strength and gentleness overcomes rigidity” Three Jewels Compassion - leads to courage Moderation - leads to generosity Humility - leads to leadership The Mandate of Heaven The moral order of the Universe: right and wrong Fate: Life and death are beyond our control. The right to rule is based upon knowing and observing the moral order of the Universe The judgement of history: losing the Mandate of Heaven results in loss of power. THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN The Emperor, as father to his people, commanded obedience as long as he ruled with wisdom and justice Warring States Period 475-221 bce Qin (Chin) Dynasty 221 bce -206 bce First unified the country by subjugating the Warring States Established central bureaucracy Legalism supplanted Confucianism: scholars persecuted and books burned Standardized writing, currency, weights and measures Qin Shihuangdi Qin Building Projects Used forced labor of convicts and peasants Roads and canals Palaces Connected fortification walls to build 5000 kilometer Great Wall Mausoleum of Qin Emperor ShiHuangdi (First Emperor) Qin ShiHuangdi’s Mausoleum was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well. The 13 year-old emperor had ordered 800,000 workers to build his tomb. Terra Cotta Army Rebellions broke out after Emperor’s death in 210 bce: dynasty overthrown after only 15 years of rule PREHISTORIC CHINA Neolithic 12,000-2000 bce Yangshao Culture 5000-2500 bce Hongshan Culture 4700- 2900 bce Lung-shan Culture 2500-1000 bce Xia Dynasty 21st –16th c. bce Earliest Dynasties ANCIENT Xia Dynasty 21st-16th c. bce Shang Dynasty 16th-11th c. bce first writing CHINA Zhou Dynasty 1027 bc-221 bc Confucianism Taoism CLASSICAL Dynasties Qin (Chin) Dynasty 221 bc-206 bc origin of name of China CHINA The Han Empire 206 bce-220 ce
